Thursday, 31 July 2014

I'm a card maker, I love making cards and sometimes I forget that making cards is not the point - it is actually about having cards to send and give! The card I am going to share with you today would be suitable for just about any occasion and features stamps from the lovely Flower Shop Stamp Set.

Wednesday, 30 July 2014

The fun What's Up? Stamp Set from Stampin' Up! may primarily be aimed at Memory Keeping but it is great for cards too! This is a card we made at a team event where we all designed cards for each other to make.

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Today I am going to show you a card we made at a recent Stampin' Up! Party for a lovely group of ladies. We had a lot of fun and our hostess tells me she is enjoying all her free goodies. At a party I tend to show two versions of a card, to show the versatility of the design and how you can add to the card we are all making.

If your wish list is long you might want to consider hosting a party, inviting everyone you know, even if they have never crafted before and I will bring the fun and everyone will leave with a project they can be proud of. To arrange your party (where ever you live in the UK) just email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Today I am going to share a special thank you card made using the wonderful Work of Art Stamp Set, This design could easily be adapted to make an invitation, a menu holder, to present a gift voucher or even a certificate.

Saturday, 26 July 2014

This week I am going to share the scrapbook page I designed for our quarterly team training in Peterborough last weekend. We have so much fun when we get together and also spend some time getting ready for the upcoming months, hence the Christmas themed Scrapbook Page!

I thought it would be fun to show how versatile the Stampin' Up! Supplies are so thought not only would I sit in the sun thinking about Christmas but I would also use non Christmas Supplies and this is what I came up with.

I particularly enjoyed playing with the masks - if you have not checked them out yet you can find them here and here. They are a fantstic way to add some visual interest to the background and were very quick and easy to use.

Friday, 25 July 2014

One of the questions I get asked most often is what tool should be in a basic toolkit for a new stamper, so for this week's Find Out About Friday I thought I would share the items I would recommend as basics or essentials for every stamper.

When you are first starting out all the tools and gadgets that we sometimes use, and all the kit that is available can be very daunting and it can be hard to know where to start. I would hate to think that this stopped people from experiencing the sheer joy that comes with taking a stamp, making an image with it and sharing that image as either a card, gift wrapping or our Memory Keeping & Scrapbooking.

I am going to be focused on the tools used by stampers today, rather than the stamps and inks themselves - they will be the subject of a future post and are must more a question of your personal taste.

I also want to mention before I dive into my list, that there is no need to get everything on this basic toolkit list all at once, if you would rather build your basic toolkit one item at a time that is totally OK, stamping is fun so lets start out in a way that is fun for you! if you are the type of person who wants it all now make sure you read to the bottom of the post as there is a special offer for you!

So what do I recommend as a good basic toolkit for a Stamper

1. Scissors

Ideally you want a sharp pair of scissors with pointed blades as these will allow you to cut around any stamped image easily. Personally I recommend the Stampin' Up! Snips - they are by far the best Paper Crafting scissors I have ever used. You can get them here.

2. Adhesives

Once you have stamped your image you are going to want to stick it to something so almost every project you do will include adhesive. A basic toolkit should have three types of adhesive a dry tape runner such as the refillable Stampin' Up! Snail which can be used to hold layers of card together and to stick on ribbon; a wet glue, such as this one, which is great for cards, boxes, bags and other fiddly thinks and Dimensional Foam Pads. I recommend these ones.

3. Cleaner

One you have used your stamps you are going to want to clean them! The best way to do this is with a scrubbing pad and cleaner mist. This is better for your stamps than using a baby wipe or wet wipe as it will not only clean but also condition your stamps. Most people also find it is a lot less messy! You can find a goood scrubbing pad here and the cleaning mist here.

4. Trimmer

You will end up cutting card for almost every project you do. You can start out using scissors but very quickly you will find that you want something which makes cutting to an exact size and in a straight line every time really quick and easy. You may also want to score your card to make it easier to fold. Since it was launched in 2012 this has been my absolute favourite trimmer, far better for me than others I have tried. You can read what I said about it when I first had it here and if anything my love for it has grown since then - I never use anything else!

5. Paper Folder

Using a paper folder when you make your folds will help you get a very professional finish to your card. I also use mine to help me line up the two ends of something I am folding in half. I would not be without mine! You can get one here.

6. Clear Blocks

If you are going to be getting a lot of clear mount stamps (and if you have the choice of clear mounted or wood mounted I would go for clear mounted as they take less space!) then you are going to need a set of clear blocks. This is one area where I would suggest investing in something that feels good and is easy to hold - after all you will use them every time you stamp. I peronally like the Clear Blocks from Stampin' Up! as they are a nice weight in the hand and have a groove round the sides making them easy for a clumsy person like me to hold! You can buy them individually or save money when you purchase either the full set or the Starter Bundle.

Once you have all the basics I would suggest you start looking at punches - things like circles in different sizes that you can layer up will give you lots and lots of great options - as well as pretty embelishments like ribbons and rhinestones!

I wanted to close this post with a very special offer for you that is valid until the end of June 2015, it is an offer from me and not from Stampin' Up!. I want to help as many people as possible get into stamping and to have their basic toolkit ready to go so if you order the following basics from me, I will send you a free pack of either Rhinestones or Pearls - which ever you would rather

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Today I am going to show you a pair of birthday cards using the lovely Serene Silhouettes Stamp Set with backgrounds created with the Work of Art Stamp Set. The design of the two card is the same but I have used different colours on the two backgrounds to give a very different effect.

Today I am going to share a double page about the building work that is currently going on in my house. I am lucky enough to have a great builder working on it but sometimes when I look around at the mess I feel a bit overwhelmed by it all and in those moments it is fantastic to be able to look back thorough my album and see just how far we have come already!

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

Before the new Stampin' Up! UK Catalogue was launched I ran a little competition with my team and had planned to send out one prize to one winner. However the team really roe to the challenge and I ended up sending out four! I challenged the team to take photos of their catalogues in unusual places or doing amusing things. Their entries often made me really giggle and certainly were a lot of fun to follow.

You may have spotted that I said I made four prizes but that there were 7 books - well the other three were also sent out as welcome gifts to my newest team members. If you would like to join us, make new crafting friends, have a lot of fun and make money sharing your love of stamping please do get in touch - bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk for more information or click here to join now. We have a lot of fun things planned over the summer and we would love to include you.

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.

Monday, 21 July 2014

At the risk of playing to the very British Stereotype and talking about the weather, today's scrapbook page is about just that - our weather! Yesterday was a lot of fun, I spent a boiling hot day with the team at our quarterly team training in Peterborough. The sun shone outside and we crafted, laughed and melted. The journey home was however not quite so fun and I was even more glad than normal of my lift home! The heavens opened and luckily we were able to pull into a lay by.

This page was made using My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! I love being able to put together pages quickly and since most of my craft room is packed away at the moment so digital crafting allows me to be creative in a confined space and without making a mess!

Saturday, 19 July 2014

I am loving how quickly and easily I can get my photos into my albums using the Project Life by Stampin' Up! System. The only thing I don't love is taking photos of the pages after - I think it takes me as long as it does to make the pages and I am not that thrilled with my photos. Still practice makes perfect and I know I will have lots more opportunities to practice!

Today I thought I would show you a series of pages I put together after a day out in Ludlow - what a beautiful town. I started with the Castle

and then moved onto the church

I love this little peep through. You can also see I have cut one of my photos in half to better fit the pockets! Here is a closer look at the peep through

and going back the other way

I loved watching the restoration work but could not help feel a little sad that the gorgeous work look would be lost!

I am really looking forward to the first Memory Keeping Monthly Classes which is on Thursday - I know those who come are going to love it and I am excited to see the pages they make and hear the stories they tell! The details are here. If you would like to join us either on Thursday or at a future class please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk to book your place.

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.

Copyright Information

All items have been created by Bekka for Feeling Craft. They are the sole responsibility of Bekka Prideaux as an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Most use Stampin' Up! products - these images are copyright Stampin' Up! 1990 - 2013

All content including text, photographs and projects are copyright Bekka Prideaux. My artwork is shared for your personal enjoyment and inspiration only and is not intended for submission to contests, publications or for personal monetary gain. If you wish to use the contents for any other purpose please contact me bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

All items have been created by Bekka Prideaux for Feeling Crafty using products from Stampin' Up! Stampin Up! Products can be ordered by contacting bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk